Niceville offense flourishes with dual quarterback system

Eagles rout Milton as Maddax Fayard and Kane Lafortune provide a 1-2, running game-passing game, punch; Video highlights here

Author:
Reed Green
Publish date:
Sep 2, 2023 7:39 AM EDT

NICEVILLE, FLORIDA – With each team coming off wins in their season openers, last week, the Niceville Eagles played host to the Milton Panthers on Friday as each team looked to pick up their second win in a crucial early season battle.

To the delight of an enthusiastic home crowd, Niceville scored 35 first half points and cruised to a dominant 42-7 victory.

The Eagles set the tempo early as they controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Rotating two quarterbacks, senior Maddax Fayard, the running threat, and junior, Kane Lafortune, tasked with stretching the defense with his vertical passing game, the Niceville offense was efficient and effective.

Fayard put the Eagles on the scoreboard when he ran a quarterback power and broke three tackles with a 12-yard rushing touchdown.

Niceville Milton football 9-1-2023 — Niceville's Brayden Powell (left) breaks down for an open-field tackle during his team's big win over Milton, Friday night.
Photo by Reed Green

Niceville got the ball back after a few short plays and responded with another touchdown. This time Lafortune connected with junior wide receiver, Mo Seck, for a 29-yard touchdown pass after Seck beat his man in one-on-one coverage.

The second quarter was a mirror image of the first quarter for the Niceville offense.

Fayard rushed for his second touchdown of the game to make it 21-0. Milton was unable to respond when it had the ball as Niceville’s front seven repeatedly applied pressure that could not be stopped. The Eagles capitalized off of this as they went up 28-0 when Lafortune completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to junior running back, Tim Smith. Right before halftime, Fayard rushed for his third touchdown of the game to increase its lead to 35-0.

The running clock was implemented in the second half, and the third quarter was a defensive stalemate with neither team scoring. However, entering the fourth quarter, Milton showed some fight as it marched down the field to get into scoring position.

Senior quarterback Ethan Diamond, scored on a quarterback sneak to make it 35-7.

Niceville scored once more in the fourth quarter as backup junior quarterback Wyatt Wainwright completed an 80-yard screen to sophomore wide receiver Robert Stith for the touchdown. Niceville got the ball once more as they took the knee to improve to 2-0 on the season while Milton looks to regroup heading into next week.

Niceville's Two Quarterback System Thrives against Panthers

Defensive coordinators are going to have nightmares figuring out a game-plan to stop the two-headed monster at quarterback for Niceville.

Fayard and Lafortune each bring their own skillsets to the field to keep the defense honest, which will help the Eagles be successful this season. They are used similarly to the way Urban Meyer used Tim Tebow and Chris Leak at Florida in 2006. Fayard will be used to run the option and in short-yardage situations this season in the same way Tebow was used.

Lafortune is the more capable passer as he showed this game with two touchdowns. This versatility at offense will be an advantage this season as the opposing defenses will have to game-plan for both.

Play-Action and Quick Passing Game Success

Niceville was able to have success in their quick-hitting passing game due to their play-calling, execution and their run game. Once Fayard and the offense was able to establish the run game, Lafortune and the offense took advantage of the Panthers defense stacking the box to stop the run.

When Lafortune completed his first pass, he found Seck one-on-one with the defensive back with no safety help and took advantage of it. He then hit Smith wide-open in the flats off of play-action. If Niceville continues to run the ball as well as it is, the play-action and quick-hitting, vertical-passing game is going to be a useful tool at their disposal when they host Lincoln (Tallahassee) next week.

Milton Battles Offensive Line Woes

The Milton offensive line had a difficult time containing the pass rush and blitzing from the Niceville defense. Junior quarterback, Tate Williams, was under duress all game and struggled because of it.

The Panther run game was nowhere to be seen for most of the game which made Williams’ job even more difficult behind center. Almost every drive ended with a tackle for a loss, a hurried pass, a sack or a combination of the three thanks to the game-planning and defensive play-calls from the Niceville coaching staff.

However, there is room for optimism for the Panther offense as they were able to move the ball in the fourth quarter which ultimately led to their lone touchdown. The Panthers offense must build on the success they found in the fourth quarter for next week’s game when they take on Booker T. Washington in Pensacola.